Wire-stretcher



(No Model.) 7

G. R. CASE 8: G. V. KILLIAN.

WIRE STRETGHER.

Patented June 24, 1890. L'II' .ml mill V I amoewiioqy lewye]? away 6372 672 mZia/fl/ 351 111061" wow UNiTED STATES PATENT FFICE,

GEORGE R. CASE AND GREEN V. KILLIAN, OF MOUNTAIN VIEWV, ARKANSAS.

W-lRE-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,621, dated June 24, 1890.

Application filed February 18, 1890. Serial No. 340,873. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that we, GEORGE R. OAsE and GREEN V. KILLIAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Mountain View, in the county of Stone and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful WVire-Stretcher, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fence-building, and more especially to that class of devices used in that connection which are known as wire-stretchers.

The object of the invention is to provide a device which will have a step-by-step motion upon a notched bar without the use of any springs whatever, and which may be utilized either to stretch the line-wire in the act of applying it to the posts or to stretch a wire that has already been so applied and which has become broken. These objects we accomplish by our improved wire-stretcher, which consists, essentially, of a double-notched bar, two pawls of peculiar shape operated by a single lever thereon, a single clamp attached to said lever, a standard at one end of said bar, and a two-way clamp attached to said standard, together with certain details of construction, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective and Fig. 2 a side View of our improved wire-stretcher. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective of the single clamp, and Fig. 4 a similar View of the two-way clamp.

1 represents the main bar, provided with alternating notches in its sides. 2 and 3 are pawls engaging the notches therein and pivoted to a lever 4.

5 is the body of a single-Wire clamp, and 6 the jaw of this clamp, the latter being connected to the lever 4 either by a chain 13 or directly, as may be preferred, all as is common in devices of this character now in use.

00mm g now to the present invention,theletter A designates a bar parallel with the lever 4 and connected thereto by the pivots of the pawls 2 and 3, as seen in Fig. 1. This bar stands above the notched bar 1 and preferably has an eye 12 in the center of its upper face, with which the inner end of the chain 13 is connected, as shown. The said pawls have rounded rear ends R, which extend toward the sides of the notched bar, and when the lever 4 is reciprocated these ends R are thrown against the sides of said notched bar as the lever reaches its extreme positions, thereby throwing the tips of the bars into engagenient with the notches of the bar at that time, as will be clearly understood. By this means all necessity for any springs in connection with these pawls is avoided, and yet the operation thereof is rendered automatic and positive.

The front end of the notched baris preferably pointed, as shown at V, to facilitatet-he application of the lever and pawls thereto, and its rear end is forked, as at F. A chain 10 is linked to one member of this fork, and its free end provided with an eye I, adapted to engage a hook H in the other member, whereby the forked end may be clamped against a post P by passing the chain around the post and engaging the hook in one of its links or in the eye I when drawn taut.

Mounted upon the upper face of the notched bar 1, near its rear end, is a rigid standard 8, having preferably a serrated upper face U, as shown, and pivoted to either side of this standard are clamping-jaws? and 9, the former operating in the same direction as the jaw 6 and the latter in the opposite direction, and

serrated face U when thrown into operative position.

The operation of this improved wirestretcher is as follows: The posts P being set (see Fig. 1) and the wire W attached by a staple S to the left-hand one, with its' free end coiled, as at 0, its body is first passed through the single clamp 5 and engaged therein. The rear end P of the bar 1 is then secured to the right-hand post P, as above described, or in any preferred manner, and the lever and pawls slipped into the pointed end V of the bar 1 and moved along thereon until the wire is comparatively tight. The lever 4 is then reciprocated, whereby the pawls 2 and 3 will alternately engage the teeth on the bar and the wire will be drawn taut. Its body is then engaged beneath the jaw 7 of the standard 8, and it can be made fast, as at S, to the right-hand post, after which the stretcher can be moved along and the operation repeated. If the wire WV in the act of drawing it taut is both adapted to be brought down upon said so much stretched that the pawls and lever are moved against the standard 8, this engagement of the wire beneath the jaw 7 is especially advantageous, because the jaw 6 can then be released and the clamp 5 moved back for another bite on the wire, after which the tightening operation can be repeated; but under all ordinary circumstances, especially where the wire is stretched between each two posts, this engagement beneath the jaw 7 will be unnecessary, and the wire may be connected with the right-hand post direct after drawing it taut with the lever and pawls.

In case a strand of the fence-wire WV be comes broken after it is applied in place, the stretcher is brought into position between the posts where the break occurs, the single clamp 5 engaged with one broken end, the jaw 9 of the double clamp engaged with the other end, and the lever and pawls slipped upon the pointed end V of the notched bar and moved along thereon until the wire is tight, after which the lever can be rcciprocated in the same manner until the wire is drawn taut and the broken ends connected between the two points of clamping.

WVe claim as the salient points of our invention- 1. I11awire-stretcher,the combinatiomwith the notched bar 1, the lever t and pawls 2 3, engaging said bar, and the single clamp 5,

connected with said lever, of the standard 8, secured to the rear end of the notched bar, and two jaws 7 and 9, alternately engaging said standard, whereby the wire may be secured thereto, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a wire-stretcher, the combination, with the standard 8, having a serrated upper face U, of the jaws 7 9, pivoted on opposite sides of said standard near the opposite ends thereof and adapted to make alternate engagement with a fence-wire between their faces and said serrated face of the standard, substantially as described.

3. In a Wire-stretcher, the combination, with the notched bar 1 and the lever 4 and pawls 2 3 thereon, engaging the notches in said bar, of the clamp 5, connected with said lever by a chain 13, the outwardly-closing jaw 6 thereon, the standard 8 nearthe rear end of the notched bar, and the inwardly-closing jaw 7 and outwardly-closing jaw 9 on said standard, the whole adapted for use as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as ourown we have hereto aflixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE R. CASE. GREEN V. KILLIAN.

Witnesses:

W. L. LOWASTER, R. F. BEcKHAM. 

